Any Art Experts out there ? (1 Viewer)

[Pure Energy]

What can you tell me about this painting by Diego Velesquez? Sites on the web are sketchy with some indicating she's 3 while some indicate she's 5 or 6. The Board has surprised me before; I'm hoping someone might have some classical study related to this painting.

 

[xpuma20x]

I know some of his other pieces, though I don't know anything about this one. Sorry.

 

[Kin Korn Karn]

I have nothing other than her dress is to long due to her being overweight and having to wear it before alterations could be made.

 

[JimEverett]

I don;t know if it is the same painting or not - but Michel Foucault devotes a chapter to one of his paintings of a little girl in "The Order of Things"

Foucault never made a whole lot of sense to me, but I do remember reading that book and particualrly about his discussion of the painting.

 

[Pure Energy]

I forgot to mention....my wife is presenting this painting to my son's first grade class tomorrow.

 

[Sabine]

Well, I'm no art expert, but my guess is that she is closer to 6. Assume that the height of an end table hasn't changed that much in 4 centuries, which puts the one in the painting at 22 inches. She's twice as tall as the end table, making her around 44 inches - which puts her around 6 YO.

A 3 YO would be closer to the 3 foot mark, usually.
That's my guess but :dunno:

Edit: Well scratch all that. The painting is supposedly of Margaret Theresa of Spain, born in 1651, and painted in 1654 - so 3YO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Theresa_of_Spain

 

[Sabine]

I forgot to mention....my wife is presenting this painting to my son's first grade class tomorrow.

Is she going to tell the 1st graders that the little girl in the painting exhibited "little or none of the mental and physical defects inherited by her brother and other relatives" due to an extensive history of inbreeding between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg family branches? Or, that she married her much older uncle at the age of 15?

Imagine those 1st graders telling their parents what Mrs. PE shared with them?

 

[Pure Energy]

Is she going to tell the 1st graders that the little girl in the painting exhibited "little or none of the mental and physical defects inherited by her brother and other relatives" due to an extensive history of inbreeding between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg family branches? Or, that she married her much older uncle at the age of 15?

Imagine those 1st graders telling their parents what Mrs. PE shared with them?

Herein lies the problem....my poor bride is working on her notes for her class presentation tomorrow. I'm a bit puzzled why this picture was chosen by the art teacher.

p.s. Sabine, thanks for the help.

 

[geauxboy]

Well, I'm no art expert, but my guess is that she is closer to 6. Assume that the height of an end table hasn't changed that much in 4 centuries, which puts the one in the painting at 22 inches. She's twice as tall as the end table, making her around 44 inches - which puts her around 6 YO.

A 3 YO would be closer to the 3 foot mark, usually.
That's my guess but :dunno:

Edit: Well scratch all that. The painting is supposedly of Margaret Theresa of Spain, born in 1651, and painted in 1654 - so 3YO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Theresa_of_Spain

FWIW

 

[Pure Energy]

Update: My wife has taken the topic of in-breeding off the table for discussion tomorrow since they're first graders. Now if they were in second grade....